Open for Business!

Hi blog followers!

My etsy shop is officially open for business!  Click here to take a peek!

Here's a look at some of the items I have for sale:

 ...And that's just a couple of them.  I have some other items also for sale at the shop (including the one pictured on the right)  I also have plans for more items.  I'm in progress on some striped arm warmers right now.  I already have some pseudo requests for fingerless gloves.  I would have posted my finished ones on the shop as well, but they were bought before I could post them!  Haha!

Anyway, major thanks to my friend, Danielle, for helping me take all these beautiful photos.  We found a local park and then found some great locations to really make the colors stand out.  I especially love this one to the right of the Men's Rustic Scarf.  I loved this little bridge that was at the park and knew right away I wanted to photograph this item there.  We had a lot of fun trying to be creative in finding interesting photo spots.  A woman even came up to me asking about the Green Twist Infinity Scarf.  There was a kids' soccer game going on at the same park, so I'm sure it was eye-catching to see two girls carrying a dress form all around.

Lola (yes, I named my dress form) was the best prop.  We had a lot of fun taking photos near random signs.  We already have big plans for taking photos with some old soda pop signs and highway entrances.  I think they would actually be kind of cool if we could pull them off.  But that's for another day....

Vote! Keep or Unravel?

Hey everyone!  I need some help.  I recently finished this scarf, but I'm not sure whether or not to keep it as is and sell it or unravel and make something new. 

Here's my story:  I started this scarf a while back.  Originally, I was doing a simple 2x2 rib, but then I found this awesome pattern and decided to make myself a baby alpaca scarf with the new pattern.  It was so incredibly soft to work with, and I couldn't wait to have this scarf for myself.  I only had a little bit of time each night to work on this, so it took a while but I finally finished.

And then I put it on.  It was prickly.  I couldn't believe it.  The softest yarn I had ever worked with, and it was prickly on my neck.  I didn't have the heart to undo it because it was so incredibly pretty, so I decided to hold onto it until I found some other project to use the yarn for.

I started making fingerless gloves with my gray baby alpaca yarn and absolutely love them.  The yarn is perfect for them and I have already worn my pair several times.

So now I'm at a crossroads.  Do I unravel the purple scarf and make some more fingerless gloves, or do I keep it as a finished scarf and try to sell it?  I obviously can't wear it, but I've met and read about several people that really love it as scarf material.  I suppose my neck is just a bit more sensitive.  Anyway, I'm still deciding, and could use some outside opinions. 

What do you think?  Keep or Unravel?

Knit Trends for Fall

It's officially fall!  I think I've been saying that every day for the last 2 weeks or so.  So happy!  Not that you would know it in California.  We had a heat wave for a while.  Luckily, the weather finally started to turn this week.  There are leaves on the ground, all brown and orange colored.  It's magnificent.  Not quite an east coast fall, but good enough for me!


Anyway, I've been knitting away like crazy because I'm getting ready to open my own etsy shop!  Actually, I knit like crazy anyway, and that's more the reason why I'm opening the shop, haha.  Anyway, I was super excited to see chunky knits, scarves and fingerless gloves, in the upcoming fall trends, since those are some of my favorite things to make.

I've been looking at photos from the recent fall collection shows from Milan, Paris and New York.  I've been noticing all these great knit details like shoulder wraps, chunky scarves and "snoods".  All from the likes of Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and many others.

One of the other trends I've noticed becoming really popular this season from all the runway shows is gloves!  Leather, metallics, knits.  Lots and lots of gloves.  I just started getting into knitting fingerless gloves.  I didn't think that I would like them as much as I do, but after some complications with my baby alpaca scarf, I decided to find a new use for my yarn stash.  After seeing some fingerless gloves in the Eileen Fisher fall collection, I was inspired to design my own.

Another specific knit trend I noticed is detail.  Lots of cables and specialized stitches - seed stitch, honeycomb, ribs, etc.

I enjoyed seeing some knit trends listed in Lauren Conrad's October Style Tips.  She's definitely one of my favorite everyday style icons. 

Seeing all these photos has provided me with lots of inspiration for new projects I want to finish.

I end up with so many finished projects, I don't know what to do with all!  I've been working on Christmas gifts all year, and now I'm building a collection to sell at my work's craft fair, and like I said, online.  I'll be posting a link to my store on here the same day it launches, but for now you'll just have to sit tight with some sneak peeks at what I am working on and have finished for the fall.  I just sold my first scarf of the season.  It was a great start to autumn!

Here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on and what you can expect to see in my store when it opens later this month:

 

 Happy October! :)

Making of an Hermès scarf

Going off my usual knitting themed topic here...

My friend, Elyse, and I were walking around the city the other day and came across this awesome Hermès demonstration tent.  Designers and artists from the clothing/fashion company were showing how they make some of their extraordinary products right there in the tent.  Everything from purses to ties, to scarves.  Elyse and I enjoyed an hour long demonstration on silk printing.  Here are some awesome photos!

Before the scarf makes it to this point in the process, it has already been designed by a designer and an engraving of the design has been finished by an engraver.  One design example they showed us took 2000 hours just to engrave!  After the engraving is complete, it is placed on top of a white mesh with solar blue paint which seals together when hit by the sun and drops off in shade.  The engraving has been put on a clear sheet which uses black areas to create the shade and then the blue paint seals under the clear area of the engraving.  Once that is complete, it is attached to a steel frame and is finally ready for the silk painting process.

First, the silk is laid out flat and taped down on a heated table.  The heat helps the dye to dry faster.

 

Next, the painter places the steel framed screen on the track and places over the area of the silk to be painted.  Then he adds the proper dye for the portion of the scarf he is currently painting.

 

Then, he takes a giant squeegee type thing and pushes the paint over the screen with equal amount of pressure on both sides in both directions.  The paint that lands on the sealed area stays on the screen and the paint that lands over the open mesh seeps through to the scarf.

 

Then he lifts up the steel frame and moves it to reveal the completed first screen.  This particular scarf requires 15 different screens for 15 different colors.

 

Here's a look at some of the other finished screens as he went along...

 

 

 

And the finished product!

It really was an amazing process.  It's so cool to see the artistry and focus that goes into making these.  Makes you appreciate the craftsmanship that much more! :)

 

Starfish... Crochet?

That's right, I can crochet now.  Yeah, baby!  I just learned how over lunch.  Thanks Sarah!

Let's see how I can use this to up my knitting game :)

Cozying Up For Fall

I love fall.  When I was younger and still in school I felt quite the opposite.  Probably because fall meant the end of the summer and therefore the beginning of the new school year.  Now that I have a year round job, it really doesn't matter what time of year it is because I still have work everyday.  My new daily schedule has given me a greater appreciation for fall.  The weather starts to cool down just enough that you can begin wearing boots, scarves and jackets again.  The leaves begin to change color and if you are lucky to live in a more seasonal climate than California you get to enjoy the colors much longer.

A personal favorite part of the return of fall is the hot drinks.  Hot chocolates, tea, coffee, and cider become popular again.  Heck, even mulled wine starts to make a comeback as the weather cools and Christmas is right around the corner.  Plus, knitting finds its place to shine.  Warm scarves, wraps and blankets.  I can combine two of my favorite things with one of my newer completed projects: the coffee cozy.

It's not necessarily just for coffee, but I guess that's just how I've grown up saying it.  Anyway, I'm really happy to have it and hope to make some more as the weather cools down even more.  I realize it's still early September, which for California still means summer, but fall's right around the corner and I couldn't be more excited :)

Eyelet Cotton Cloth

As promised, here is my personally designed pattern for an eyelet hole cotton dish cloth.  Enjoy!

Using Sugar & Cream 100% cotton yarn.  1/2 skein in color of choice.

CO 34 st., size 8 needles

Row 1: *(K1, P1), *repeat until end of row
Row 2: *(P1, K1), *repeat until end of row
Row 3-4: Repeat above two rows
Row 5: (K1, P1) 2 times, K1 to last 3 stitches, P1, K1, P1
Row 6: (P1, K1) 2 times, P1 to last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1
Row 7: (K1, P1) 2 times, *(K2, YO, K2tog), *repeat until last 6 stitches, K2, (K1,P1) 2 times
Row 8: (P1, K1) 2 times, P1 until last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1
Row 9: (K1, P1) 2 times, K1 until last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1
Row 10: (P1, K1) 2 times, P1 until last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1

Repeat rows 7-10 until the entire project measures approx. 6 inches lengthwise.

To finish, repeat rows 1-4.  Bind off and weave loose strings of yarn back into the project.

Voilà!  Your very own cotton eyelet dish cloth!

To prevent curling when finished, block with a hot iron and a damp towel/cloth: wet a cloth/towel and wring it until it just just damp.  Place over the flattened knit cloth.  Use a hot iron and go over the entire area until all of the covered knit cloth have been ironed.

Recommended care: Wash in cold water, tumble dry low-medium.  They actually work best after having been washed a few times and hold up well to the washing machine and dryer, so don't be afraid to use them!


Looking for another project with great design?  Check out this fingerless glove pattern!